Philippine Seven Corporation, which holds franchise rights for 7-Eleven stores in the Philippines, says it partnered with Mr. Tayag, or Chef Claude, in the hope of tapping new demand from an expanding middle class. The 7-Eleven franchise in Taiwan did the same nearly a decade ago.

More disposable income has created opportunities “for people to try better food,” said Emmanuel Lee Esguerra, marketing communications manager of Philippine Seven Corporation. “Although Chef Creations is more expensive than our usual meals, it is market dictated.”

Mr. Esguerra described the company’s target market as people with “discriminating tastes,” and that made the partnership with Chef Claude a perfect combination.

The 57-year-old chef recently opened Downtown 1956 Café, a restaurant in Angeles City that offers traditional Filipino fare.

In addition to cooking, Chef Claude is an artist, writer and photographer – and a staunch advocate for Filipino cuisine.

“I chose to tie-up with 7-Eleven because they were willing to work with my philosophy of cooking nutritious meals without sacrificing tastes,” Chef Claude said during an interview at Downtown 1956.

Chef Claude Tayag holds one of his Chef Creations at a 7-Eleven store in Angeles, Pampanga, north of Manila.

Josephine Cuneta/The Wall Street Journal

Even after the partnership was inked it took more than a year to finalize the three meals because Chef Claude was focused on guaranteeing tasty dishes that didn’t compromise on ingredients, said Mr. Esguerra.

“Everything was made from scratch; no instant powder was used,” he added.

Pork sinigang sa kamias is the best-seller among the three, according to Mr. Esguerra, who attributes sales volumes in part to a love for the hot soup.

Pakbet with bagnet, the second-best seller, is a popular vegetable and meat dish from the country’s north that is sautéed with shrimp paste. Chef Claude’s version has just the right crunch with a shrimp paste that tastes fresh rather than salty.

The pulled pork with adobo dip features morsels of twice-cooked pork and comes with added dip on the side that helps heighten the meat’s flavor.

Chef Claude said the dish is the most expensive of the three and the most complicated because it involves a three-step process: marinating the pork overnight; simmering it for hours until tender; and then putting the meat back in the sauce for aging.

Mr. Esguerra said more meals are in development – the three currently on sale came from a shortlist of a dozen.

But it takes time to transform a restaurant dish into a meal that is packaged and widely distributed, he said.

The 7-Eleven commissary prepares the meals and delivers them daily to around 900 stores on the main island of Luzon, according to Mr. Esguerra.

Since the meals first became available last month, sales have been strong, especially in Manila’s central business district – its target market – said Mr. Esguerra. And he expects their popularity to grow as more outlets pick up the Chef Creations.

“What we are seeing is that Chef Creations are increasing, growing in contribution to our overall meals,” he added.

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